Reads Artspace/Sterling Market Lofts

Location: Bridgeport, CT | Size: 61 Units | Status: Completed 2005

Vacant for more than 20 years, the D. M. Read’s Department Store was converted to 61 apartment units for artists as live/work spaces, each with a large living room/studio space with high ceilings, exposed structure and mechanical systems. The renovated space was designed for an artists’ community to share inspirations and benefit from a shared lifestyle. The depth of the floor plate provided enough space for interconnecting residents’ galleries to serve as the main circulation corridor. The first floor has a large resident gallery and retail spaces fronting on the two main commercial streets. Ground floor apartments facing north open onto a pedestrian arcade, allowing residents to open their studios to the public. The exterior of the building, a prominent local structure that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been restored to its original condition using federal historic tax credits. The project won awards from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and the Real Estate Exchange.